Cellar Scribblings

[serious crayons]

I can't really speak for other European countries, but you're correct that here in Sweden everyone has, by law, 25 days of vacation every year (if you're employed the whole year i.e). The norm is usually to take 4 weeks in a row during June-July-August, but there are other variations. Some people have more, it depends on the agreement between your union and the employer's organisation.

Yeah, I wrote about the European/US vacation gap years ago. Talked to experts of various kinds. The main reason seemed to be stronger unions in Europe.

Holidays like new years, xmas, easter 1st of may, christ-flew-to-heaven and a few more don't take away from your vacation days. You get them off anyway.

Then your spring is our fall. Many of us don't get holidays off between New Year's Day and Martin Luther King Day (in January) and Memorial Day (end of May). At my company we don't get days off for Easter -- though some companies do -- because it falls on a Sunday. I've never even heard of those other holidays you mentioned! We have Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day, both of which most people work, and Presidents Day, when again it's mostly people in government and banks who don't work.

Looks like I get about 38 days of Paid Time Off this year, so seven-plus weeks. Up to a week of it (the limit) might have rolled over from last year. As I said they have to pay for any day I'm not at work, possibly including staying home with sick children (though that might be Family Medical Leave Act pay). I lucked out this year by breaking my arm -- I took a bunch of time off but was paid for by short-term disability so I didn't have to use any PTO.

[CellarDweller]

So is the buffalo chicken dip a dip into which one would dip buffalo chicken? So, traditionally something like blue cheese dressing, right? And someone else would bring the wings? Or is it a dip that tastes like buffalo chicken into which one would dip chips?

Last night, I made a great casserole -- or as we call them in MN, "hot dish." Layer of roasted halved poblanos from the garden. Filling of shredded pork (made last month in the crockpot and frozen in smaller portions), farmers market corn cut off cob, farmers market onion, halved home-grown cherry tomatoes, cup or so of grocery store salsa, meh as a chip dip but good for flavoring. Saut?ed and topped with shredded mozzarella and pepper jack and sprinkled with spiced pepitos, baked for about 30 minutes. I'll have it for dinner for at least three nights, freeze a portion or two.

Hiya Katy!

(I'll reply to other posts tomorrow, I'm about to go to bed now)

Buffalo Chicken Dip is just what it sounds like.

you take one 8 oz serving of cream cheese (softened) one 1/2 cup of buffalo wing sauce,  1/2 cup of ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing, and shredded chicken breast.   Mix it together, put it in a baking dish, sprinkle cheese (I use a Colby & Monterey Jack blend), and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with sliced baguette, or "sturdy" chips like pita chips.





For the gathering yesterday, there were going to be 14 people at, so I doubled the recipe (2 8oz packages,  1 cup of dressing and wing sauce).   As for the amount of chicken, the recipe calls for 1 cup, but that never seems to be enough, so I usually use two cups, to make sure there is enough chicken in it.


Time saving tip.   Some people use canned chicken, which I'm not a fan of.   The times when I first made it, I made the chicken breast fresh, which can be a lot of work.  A friend told me to just go to the supermarket, and buy a fresh rotisserie chicken, and just bring it home, let it cool so you can shred it, and then shred and mix it.

[CellarDweller]

Hiya BetterMost friends!!!!

I'm not in the mood to go to work today.   Not like I have any choice, but I'm not in the mood.   

it was a good weekend, but passed too quickly.

I spent some time cleaning the apartment yesterday.  People are coming in on Wednesday to inspect the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector, so the place needs to be presentable.

[CellarDweller]

Chuck, I'm glad you had a success with your buffalo chicken dip. I was supposed to bring a side dish to church today for an "unbirthday party" they were throwing. I decided to bring deviled eggs. Why, I don't know. Deviled eggs are very labor intensive and I never seem to get it quite right. And people eat them up so fast. One bite and they're gone.

But I have lots of eggs (my daughter has hens) and I have a cute deviled egg transport and serve kit. So, I thought and thought about how to make them right this time. I decided to put in minced celery, onion, and parsley and to leave out the vinegar. My mother always put in vinegar, and too much. So, I began by going to the store and getting eggs. You read that right. Pretty hard boiled eggs can't be made from fresh hen's eggs. You have to use the older grocery store eggs.

I boiled the eggs, including several extras. They peeled up nicely to my relief but there were still some that were flawed that are going into an egg salad. The next day, I sliced them in half with a serrated knife, giving a nice grooved surface. I popped out the yolks into a bowl and chilled the whites in the cute kit. This morning, Sunday, I arose early and added mayo and Trader Joe's spicy mustard to the yolks, with spices and mashed them into a smooth paste. I then added the finely minced onion, celery, and parsley. I then finely chopped some bread and butter pickles and added those. Instead of vinegar, I used a little pickle juice. I tasted this and adjusted the seasoning, adding more salt and some smoked paprika. I then spooned this into the whites and dusted the tops with a tiny amount of smoked paprika.

It was stressful but I was fairly happy with and hopeful about my deviled eggs. But when I got to church, I found that the plans had all changed and they were only serving cake. I brought the eggs back home with me. Anyone want some deviled eggs?? Sorry, I was not planning to write a dissertation on your blog Chuck but it just came out that way!

I do like deviled eggs, but I've never made them.  Sorry that you went to all that work, and now have a bunch of deviled eggs at your place!

[CellarDweller]

How extremely unfair!! 

We don't have ONE SINGLE  holiday between midsummer and x-mas!!! NOT ONE!!!!!

We could really use a couple of holidays, it's so hard to work all autumn after our 4 weeks summer vacation!

Instead, we have to work every single day, while it gets darker and darker and wetter and wetter and windier and windier, and we all get depressed and anti social and just want to stay in bed forever.    and NO HOLIDAY to cheer us up!!!! 

[CellarDweller]

If it helps you feel better, of the holidays Chuck listed, the majority of Americans only get days off on Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Those other holidays -- Columbus Day (we in Minneapolis call in Indigenous People's Day) and Veteran's Day are days off mostly for people who work in government or (ahem) banks. 

Hmm....I may have exaggerated a tiny little bit..... mainly to annoy Chuck   

[Jeff Wrangler]

Then your spring is our fall. Many of us don't get holidays off between New Year's Day and Martin Luther King Day (in January) and Memorial Day (end of May). At my company we don't get days off for Easter -- though some companies do -- because it falls on a Sunday. I've never even heard of those other holidays you mentioned! We have Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day, both of which most people work, and Presidents Day, when again it's mostly people in government and banks who don't work.

We used to get MLK Day, in January, and then Presidents' Day, in February--and then nothing until Memorial Day, at the end of May. Last year, as part of DEI, they took away Presidents' Day and added Juneteenth. So now we have nothing between MLK Day, in January, and Memorial Day, at the end of May.

Viking Economics? I thought the Viking idea of economics was to go steal stuff from other people. 

[CellarDweller]

We used to get MLK Day, in January, and then Presidents' Day, in February--and then nothing until Memorial Day, at the end of May. Last year, as part of DEI, they took away Presidents' Day and added Juneteenth. So now we have nothing between MLK Day, in January, and Memorial Day, at the end of May.

are you talking about the company you work for?  I hadn't heard that Presidents Day is no longer a holiday.

[Jeff Wrangler]

are you talking about the company you work for?  I hadn't heard that Presidents Day is no longer a holiday.

Yes.

[serious crayons]

Buffalo Chicken Dip is just what it sounds like.

you take one 8 oz serving of cream cheese (softened) one 1/2 cup of buffalo wing sauce,  1/2 cup of ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing, and shredded chicken breast.   Mix it together, put it in a baking dish, sprinkle cheese (I use a Colby & Monterey Jack blend), and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with sliced baguette, or "sturdy" chips like pita chips.

For the gathering yesterday, there were going to be 14 people at, so I doubled the recipe (2 8oz packages,  1 cup of dressing and wing sauce).   As for the amount of chicken, the recipe calls for 1 cup, but that never seems to be enough, so I usually use two cups, to make sure there is enough chicken in it.

Thanks, and yummm!! I may try that next time I have to bring something somewhere. Which will probably be at least twice next weekend.

Time saving tip.   Some people use canned chicken, which I'm not a fan of.   The times when I first made it, I made the chicken breast fresh, which can be a lot of work.  A friend told me to just go to the supermarket, and buy a fresh rotisserie chicken, and just bring it home, let it cool so you can shred it, and then shred and mix it.

I'm with you -- canned chicken is gross. I love rotisserie chicken for this purpose and others -- I usually get at least five meals out of one, including chicken broth from the carcass.

If you wanted to save even more time, my grocery store sells containers of free pre-shredded chicken (and shredded pork and other stuff).